The Prenuptial Recollection
by jws1272
Summary: As they prepare on their wedding day, Sheldon & Amy recall the moments that led up to this day, and we take the journey of their romance along with them. Mostly canon. AN: I have put Amy's thoughts in italics, as to differentiate them from Sheldon's.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1-First Impressions**

Sheldon just couldn't believe that this day had arrived so fast. It just seemed like yesterday, or a few days ago, that he had had Date Night with Amy, and had summoned up the courage to get down on one knee, and ask her to spend the rest of her life with him. He'd never forget the look on her face when he asked. She looked about the same as when he'd showed up at her door, interrupting her date with the very tall Dave Gibbs, and told her truly that he loved her. Both times, she'd ended up crying tears of joy. Also, both times, she'd held onto him as tight as she could, and he'd held her to him, her head resting on his chest, his head resting gently atop hers. Sheldon had to admit to himself that, although hugs from Penny were only starting to be just extremely irritating after all these years, whenever he was holding Amy, it felt, for a moment, like all the anxieties and fears that he had, just...fell away.

Although he'd never tell Leonard or any of the other guys, in his heart of hearts, he knew now that the one end of the couch on which he preferred to sit was not his only "Spot". His true "spot" was, any more, not a single point of consistency. No, his true "Spot" was a certain bespectacled, demure neurobiologist with a thing for cardigans, and hair the color of mud. When he was with Amy Farrah Fowler, he felt like he could accomplish anything. In her presence, all his thoughts just equalized. He had to admit, although sometimes it felt like she'd correct him to no end, she really had made him into a better man. How many years had he spent being a scared little boy, for fear that something might upset his routines even the littlest bit? Too many, he thought. He just hoped that he would make a good husband for her.

At the bachelor party that the guys had insisted on throwing for him, he'd thanked them all for their long friendship, and for tolerating his trying ways. He'd even split a pair of socks up, and given one each to Koothrapalli and Wolowitz, as a kind of "gag gift", in addition to their regular groomsmen gifts. He had to admit to himself that, even though Leonard, Raj, and Howard could get on his every last nerve at times, that he wouldn't trade those three guys for any other friends in the world. He'd also gained the friendships of first Penny, then Bernadette and Emily as well. However, his best friend in the whole world...whole universe, actually, was the lady who'd stolen his heart.

He chuckled to himself as he unzipped the garment bag that held the tuxedo that he'd rented for today. When Raj and Howard presented to him the suggestion that Saturday preevening, that he could meet a woman who had been scientifically chosen to be his perfect mate, his original reaction was, naturally, a snort of derision. (Then again, that was his reaction to MOST of the suggestions of those two...) He smiled, as he thought of their whole little scheme that involved blackmailing him with the possibility of soiled hosiery in the apartment, shaking his head. Then, however, those words that would change his life for all time, echoed in his mind..."Excuse me. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. You're Sheldon Cooper."

He hadn't planned on falling in love. Then again, he thought, who ever really does? He was a man of science, of multiple doctorates and degrees. Love, before then, was almost a foreign and alien concept to him. It was something for lesser minds like Leonard, Raj, and Howard, not a Homo Novus like himself. When he'd entered that coffee shop that day, the thoughts going through his mind were of how much he wanted this folly to be over, so he could get back to Los Robles, and get to presorting and presoaking his laundry. He had also contemplated how he should gloat over the failure of Howard and Raj's plot. This, however, was not to be. No, the great Sheldon Lee Cooper was to be bested that fateful Saturday, by the candor and modest charms of a lady.

He'd had to do a double take as they walked up to the counter together to get her a tepid water. He'd dismissed this whole thing as pure hokum, but there was...something about her. He'd been introduced to women before, but none before Amy ever piqued his curiosity. Here was a woman not ruled totally by her vanity over her looks. Here was a woman who wasn't looking, at that time, for any kind of relationship but that of the mind. He was especially intrigued by her straightforward manner. Plus, her curt remark about all forms of physical contact being off the table put him at ease. A thought had crossed Sheldon's mind as they stood waiting for service: Was it actually possible that he'd found a female Homo Novus, whose intellect matched his own?

 _After they'd obtained their beverages, they'd sat and chatted for almost an hour. After exchanging contact information, they'd parted, agreeing that they should definitely stay in touch. He'd texted her when he'd reached home, to thank her for the nice time. She'd responded in kind, that she'd enjoyed meeting him as well. At the time, Amy couldn't believe that an online service had matched her up so well on the first try. Her mother had tried setting her up on her at-least-once-yearly, agreed-upon dates, but none of the men that she'd met had even come CLOSE to being an acceptable match. Thus, she informed her mother to hold off on fixing her up for a while, and Amy had signed herself up for the online dating service._

 _When the service came back with a match, at first, she thought it must be a fluke. It couldn't have found a match for HER. As she logged onto the site to see who or what it had matched her with, she was filled with a bit of trepidation. She wanted to believe that there was someone out there for her, but had had her fair share of disappointment. She wasn't looking for some whirlwind romance. She had her standards, most of which had been drilled into her by her overbearing mother. Still, one of those standards helped her to protect herself. However, most men that her mother had set her up with had left straightaway, upon her stating that all physical contact was off the table. What was wrong with just wanting a relationship/friendship that didn't involve all that messy affection?_

 _She went to the section that showed her match, and was greeted by a picture of a pleasant-looking man with short brown hair, and blue eyes, wearing some sort of green t-shirt with a superhero logo on it. As she read the description, his answers to the questions posed by the site were similar to her own. He seemed a little full of himself, she thought. However, upon seeing that he was a scientist as well, she found herself intrigued. Maybe this one might be different from all the "regular guys" with whom her mother had been setting her up. She was a scientist, and had more important things to fill her mind with than so much romantic fluff. A note from him was in her message box on the site. She was a bit taken aback when it began "Greetings, fellow life-form…" As she read the note, however, it seemed that he was not a "normal" guy. Sheldon Cooper, eh? He sounded like he actually MIGHT come close to being suitable. She replied back, stating that she'd be interested in meeting him, stating the name & address of a coffee shop nearby, which had become her neutral ground for first impressions. What did she have to lose?_

 _Within a few days, he responded back with a time & day for their introductory meeting, to which she agreed. As she arrived at the coffee shop that early Saturday evening, she saw three men inside, including this Sheldon Cooper. He was taller than his picture made him out to be. He seemed to be arguing with a shorter gentleman with a "bowl" haircut, and an Indian guy who looked nervous. "Hmmm," she thought, "are these his friends?" Entering the shop, she steeled herself, thinking, "All right, Fowler, here we go again..."_

"Excuse me. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. You're Sheldon Cooper." Amy heard the words silently cross her lips as she sat at the salon, her hair being tended to by Penny's stylist. "Did you say something, Dr. Fowler?", the stylist said. "No, nothing, just thinking out loud," Amy replied, a smile crossing her lips. In the chair next to her, Penny looked over at her friend, the bride-to-be, and knew that look on Amy's face. Penny knew the look that Amy got on her face these days when she thought about her fiancee', a man who could perturb Penny (or anyone, really) to no end, but for whom she would do just about anything, Sheldon Lee Cooper.

 _As he had introduced himself, she noted that his manner of speaking in person was exact to the note that he had sent her on the dating service. This Sheldon Cooper was definitely not the type of guy with whom she'd gotten used to meeting. Maybe this whole online dating service WASN'T a load of excrement. He seemed to possess as haughty a manner as presented on his dating profile. After a short chat, she thought, "Ok, let's set the boundary & see if THIS one runs away..." With that, she recanted her usual statement about physical contact. To her surprise, he offered to buy her a beverage. As they approached the counter, to get her a tepid water, she could have sworn she heard someone say, "Good God, what have we done?" _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As she sat having a manicure, Amy's thoughts were not on her fingernails, but on the events that had led up to this day. She still couldn't believe how Fate, and a decision to try online dating, had led to her meeting the man she was to marry later that day...

 _When she'd left the coffee shop that day, with the contact information of this Dr. Sheldon Cooper, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long while popped into her head: Hope. Here was a man who wasn't wanting to slobber all over her, and seemed not to even be seeking any female companionship. He was possessed of a great intellect. That she could tell of him immediately._

 _Over the next few months, they never saw each other, but were in constant communication via text messages, E-mails, and via Facebook and Twitter. They'd discussed each other's work, touched on each other's interests, Sheldon's interactions with his friends, and exchanged daily pleasantries in general. As she communicated more and more with Sheldon, Amy began to sense that she had truly found a kindred soul in him. She actually found herself looking forward to hearing from Sheldon Lee Cooper every day. Maybe, she thought, she might actually want to see him socially..._

 _One day, a few days after a hypothetical discussion about what kind of offspring they might produce, she received an e-mail from Sheldon, pointing out that his roommate had pointed out to him that communication with their offspring electronically would not be sufficient for proper mental and emotional development. He went on to state that they would need to get to know each other better socially. At this, her heart leapt just a little, and she wondered where THAT sensation came from... Immediately, she e-mailed him back, titling the e-mail "Date With Sheldon Cooper". She listed preferences on restaurants/cuisines/etc, as well as revealing her allergy to avocado._

Amy glanced over at Penny, who was now in the hairstylist's chair, and got a gleaming smile from her friend. Her friendship with Penny, and later with Bernadette as well, had been awkward at first, to say the least. She'd been a little reluctant to strike up a friendship with Penny, as she'd never before had any friends. She had to admit that she'd maybe gone quite overboard in her pursuit of Penny's friendship. Their first meeting was very much the uncomfortable event, to say the least. Penny had picked Sheldon up to drive him to pick her up, and thus to the restaurant for their "date".

 _As they'd driven to the restaurant, Penny had tried many avenues to strike up conversation. Amy would have just as soon ridden to the restaurant in silence, with her thoughts to keep her company, as she'd done so many times before on her way to work, or whatever errands she'd run. Socialization was a very new concept to her, as her sheltered upbringing hadn't exactly made her any friends. When they'd reached the restaurant, she was pleased when Penny revealed that Sheldon was on his first "official" date. She'd been on several dates herself, in accordance with the agreement with her mother, but this time was different. SHE had found this one. SHE had signed up on that dating service. As she was getting into her 30's, Amy felt that it was past time that the apron strings be cut. She didn't mind being alone, as she found most people in the world annoying due to their lack of intelligence. However, it didn't feel right to be alone forever. She'd cried herself to sleep many a night in her life because of loneliness._

 _As the evening had progressed with Penny & Sheldon, the discussion of dating had come up, and Sheldon's brilliant mind had proven a little embarrassing for Penny. At first, Amy had merely participated in Sheldon's analysis, contributing from her own experiences and studies. Sheldon's neighbor seemed like a bit of a loose woman, to say the least. Amy's own admission of having participated in that silly study about stimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain seemed to elicit a bit of shock in the perky blonde. Sheldon, however, remained unfazed, as he saw it, as Amy did, as a merely scientific venture. She had later found out why Penny was so shocked. _

_Sheldon had e-mailed her, upon arriving home, thanking her for a pleasant evening. He went on to explain that he saw a whole new side of her that evening. A surprising part of it was his saying that he no longer wished to pursue their having a child together, as his mother would very much object to any grandchild of hers being born out of wedlock in a lab. She responded by telling him that she was flattered, but, she really had only suggested that hypothetically. He responded back, almost sounding relieved. He also suggested that, thanks to the evening's successful interaction, that, although they would still maintain a boy/friend/girl/friend status, that he would not be opposed to them continuing to see each other socially….._

As Sheldon went through his wedding day checklist, he thought, "How did we get here?" His mind recalled those first Skype sessions, after Leonard had suggested that he and Amy "hang out". He'd thought it a frivolous pursuit at first, but nowadays, he felt sad if he didn't get to speak to Amy every day. She was now an integral part of his life. She'd started out, of course, just as a friend to him, but, there'd been a connection between them from the start. That connection had grown into a friendship that, over the years, eventually blossomed into their romance. Had it really been EIGHT years since that fateful meeting in the coffee shop? Time had certainly flown.

He'd been a different person then. He'd run his world by rigidly-followed rules, agreements, conditions and otherwise, all designed for his benefit. His childhood had been chaotic, to say the least, and he'd decided that his adulthood would NOT be as such. Who cared if it irritated other people, as long as HE was content? He'd never understood some people's inherent need for companionship sometimes. For a time, Amy had agreed with him. Except for each other, at that time, they spent lots of alone time, with just the occasional e-mail, text or Tweet. Amy wasn't his "girlfriend", so what need did he have to spend any time actually in her presence? He was interesting enough on his own. Except for the cost of the rent, he wouldn't have even had Leonard living with him if he didn't need it. Things had certainly changed…...


End file.
